


Life Chapters

by ashleyy15



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alphabets With Eren, Angst, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Multi, Past Levi/Petra, Unrequited Levi/Erwin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-22
Updated: 2014-02-22
Packaged: 2018-01-13 09:43:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1221571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ashleyy15/pseuds/ashleyy15
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Life is full of stories. It's full of chapters. What's important is that the stories don't die with us. (Will be rated M soon for eventual smut.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Life Chapters

**Author's Note:**

> I'll start of with Rivetra since I think Petra should have at least a chance to be with Levi.

Appreciation day in the Scouting Legion was officially a weekly thing. Every Friday, everyone exchanges a nice word or two and just show a person how much they appreciated each other. No one remembered when it started, but no one complained about it either. When you’re always taking the risk of losing your life the next moment, everyone needs a little appreciation sometimes.

     Levi never actually participated in it, even though he thought everyone else deserved to be appreciated. So like every other Friday, he stayed outside the castle near the training grounds. Usually he had a book or two to accompany him while he escaped from his squad members’ words of appreciation and Hanji’s overwhelming hugs. There was one person he wouldn’t mind being with right now, but he doubted she would be interested in sitting with him in silence while he indulged himself with his book.

     “At least those brats aren’t around.” Levi muttered to himself, recalling a certain brunette who hero-worshipped him. Though he didn’t mind the attention he was receiving, there were also times when he felt like he didn’t do anything-if you counted slaying titans as nothing-to deserve them. He wasn’t the one who lead the Scouting Legion on expeditions, nor was he the one who plugged up that damn hole in Wall Rose. He did exactly what the others did: Kill Titans and not feel sorry about it.

     As Levi sat down under his usual spot under the tree, he could feel the wind picking up and silently, he watched the fallen leaves danced across the courtyard. The different shades of colours made it beautiful and Levi had a thing about art. He wished there was some way he could just capture what he saw. He wished things were more permanent than it was now.

     “Oh Leviiii~!”

     “Kill me now.” Levi sighed, marking the page of his book before shutting it and glancing at the spectacled girl. Hanji’s brown hair was out of her ponytail and instead of wearing her usual uniform; she was in casual attire consisting of her oversized white shirt that fluttered in the wind along with her slacks. She took a seat next to him and faced the courtyard too.

     “Everyone’s looking for you, you know?” She said with a small smile, one without her usual craziness. It was gentle and more natural. One thing Levi loved about Appreciation Day was that everyone was more relaxed and carefree. Expeditions were for another day and training was cut short. It meant that he had the day off along with the other squad leaders.

     “I didn’t want to be bothered.”

     “More like hiding from your squad members,” Hanji paused for awhile before adding, “and _her_.”

     Levi flinched slightly. He knew he couldn’t hide his little crush on a certain ginger but he didn’t expect to be found out so early. “You’re not telling anyone.” He said through gritted teeth. “She needs someone better.”

     “Like who?”

     “I don’t know. Someone who isn’t me? Someone who hasn’t seen the terror of titans? Someone who could show her happiness?” Levi imagined Petra’s beautiful face smiling. Oh, how he missed that smile of hers. The first time they met, he had taken her constant smile for granted and had learned to regret not looking at it more often. As Petra faced more and more deaths of her fellow mates, her smile had slowly vanished and Levi missed seeing them. He remembered how her smile had a calming effect on him, how he would always receive one of her small encouraging smiles as she handed him his morning tea.

     Hanji didn’t say anything, probably sensing that he didn’t want to talk more.

     “I don’t think she would want any other man though.” Hanji spoke softly after awhile. “In fact, the only man she would talk about if she did at all, would be you.” Levi saw her brown eyes looking at him with certainty. He still doubted her words and so he buried his nose in his storybook.

     A yawn escaped his lips and he didn’t remember when he started falling asleep. But before he knew it, his eyes were already drawing close and his breathing turned shallow.

     As always, his dreams were plagued with nightmares and only images of deaths would appear. The screams, the blood and the fear were so real that no matter how many times he’d seen it, he still woke up panting and drenched in sweat.

     “ _Corporal_?” A sweet voice spoke and Levi immediately tensed up. He hadn’t wanted _her_ to witness him at his weakest state. He slowly turned to the spot beside him and found it occupied by a certain ginger with his book in her hands.

     “I’m sorry! I just saw you sleeping alone and I thought you might want some company!” She began explaining but he wasn’t exactly listening. His eyes searched for any fear in Petra, wondering if her watching him being scared of his own nightmares might have made her lose trust in him. But he found nothing except her usual admiration. He sighed in relief, glad that Petra hadn’t stood up and left him yet.

     “Petra…thank you.”

     Said ginger narrowed her eyes and glanced at Levi, confused. “What for, sir?”

     _For being you._

“For not telling anyone that I’m as much of a coward as everyone else.”

     Petra gazed at him, wondering just how lonely this man really was. “Everyone has nightmares. You being afraid of them just make you more human.” He had never thought about it that way. But he was willing to try viewing it at another angle, for her sake.

     His eyes drifted to her hand at her side and he unconsciously reached out to hold it. “Is this okay?” He asked quietly, fixing his eyes on the leaves lying on the grounds. They were no longer dancing, but their colours were enough to make the whole thing beautiful.

     Petra didn’t answer him, but she held onto her corporal’s hand tighter as if she might just lose him the second she lets go. “Fallen leaves are beautiful.” She said and Levi tried not to think of the double meaning behind her words.

     “Yeah, they are.”

    

**Author's Note:**

> I still haven't thought of any ideas for Chapter B :/ Suggestions are welcomed?


End file.
